


Meow

by sapphire_eyes27



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: College AU, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Kuroo is a big nerd, M/M, Misunderstandings, Yaku sucks at chemistry, but they get cleared up, do the math, fluff at the end, for being gay, slight angst, there's a cat, they both hate each other, they both love cats, yaku was bullied in the past
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-26
Updated: 2016-05-26
Packaged: 2018-07-10 07:17:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6972514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphire_eyes27/pseuds/sapphire_eyes27
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yaku is walking to his car from his awful chemistry lecture when he hears a kitten stuck in a bush. He decides to save it but doesn't expect his high school enemy, Kuroo, to show up and help. Could this day get any worse?<br/>Or,<br/>How a tiny cat brings former high school enemies together for the better!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Meow

“And that’s all for today. See you next class and remember to do the homework,” Yaku’s sadistic chemistry professor declared when he finished the final calorimetry problem for the day.

He proceeded to place a large stack of papers on the corner of his desk and Yaku gulped involuntarily. “And remember to pick up your exams before you leave. They’re in alphabetical order,” he added and started erasing the blackboard. “The average was an 89, which is really good I must add. The lowest score was a 48 and the highest was a 105, because of the extra credit. Once again, only one person scored that high.” Yaku glared at the back of the professor’s head, as if it were all his fault. Well, it kind of was since the old man made his tests incredibly hard. How the class always managed to have such a high average, Yaku may never know.

Actually wait…He just might.

It was thanks to that asshole who kept getting over a 100 on all the exams. It was he who kept screwing up the average and making Yaku’s life miserable. If Yaku ever found out who this guy was, all hell was going to break loose. He pictured a big nerd, with a greasy bowl cut hairstyle and large, thick rimmed glasses, with his nose buried in a chemistry book. He imagined snapping that awful book close with the nerd’s face still between the pages and felt a little better.

Yaku hurriedly packed up his stuff, willing his heart to stop racing, and rushed to get his test before the mass of students attacked the stack like hungry piranhas. It helped to sit at the front in occasions such as these. Unfortunately, the seating arrangement did nothing for the absorption of the material as he had hoped. He was still as clueless as ever in chemistry and he dreaded seeing his current exam score because he knew he didn’t fully comprehend the material. But, he had studied hard on the stuff he felt he did have a better chance of understanding, so it couldn’t be that bad, right? He automatically started at the back of the pile and quickly found his test thanks to his messy scrawl. He folded the stapled sheets in half to keep his score private from prying eyes and also because he just wasn’t ready to see it yet.

 _It can’t be that bad…It can’t be that bad…It can’t be that bad…_ , he chanted in his head as he pushed past the increasing horde of sweaty and eager students to get outside. The crisp autumn air hit him unexpectedly and he shivered in his thin jacket, cursing himself for not wearing something warmer. Yaku noticed the setting sun as he slowly made his way to his car. It was a dull orange surrounded by stray, wispy clouds while the navy blue night slowly crept to engulf them in its tight embrace. A little further away, the faint outline of the waning moon could be seen. Yaku shivered again as another chilly breeze tore its way through him. All of a sudden, all the burnt orange and vermillion leaves rose into the air as if performing a synchronized dance. They swirled around teasingly, beckoning him to dance with them, and Yaku almost scoffed.

 _Autumn can be such an annoying season sometimes_ , Yaku thought sullenly. Now, almost every day seemed like a chapter out of a shoujo manga and it was getting increasingly irritating. He couldn’t wait for winter so he wouldn’t have to deal with the damn colorful leaves and pumpkin spiced lattes. God, those were disgusting. Seriously, who even thought of that revolting concoction?

Yaku sighed, knowing he was purposefully avoiding looking at his exam grade but maybe he could wait until he got home? Yeah, that sounded like a good plan and it was going great until his incessant curiosity kept gnawing at the edge of his consciousness. He steeled himself, closed his eyes and breathed deeply before he reluctantly snuck a glance at the bottom right hand corner of the first page, reading the number displayed ominously in red ink.

 _54_.

Yaku clutched the paper tighter, knuckles going white and eyes suddenly brimming with angry tears. He stopped walking as his vision swam and he bowed his head in defeat. Why?! _Why?!_ How could this be?! He had studied so hard for this test, harder than the previous ones, yet he did the worst on it. A few tears escaped his downcast eyes and splattered on the paper, smudging his writing slightly. He angrily wiped away the tears and ran a shaky hand through his short hair. He kicked a small stone hoping to channel some of his frustration and hopelessness into that small action, yet it did nothing to ease his mind. He didn’t know why he had to take this stupid chemistry class in the first place. He was an economics major for Christ’s sake. He would never need to know how to calculate the pH of a weak acid or how to read a bloody titration curve. However, all students, no matter their major, were required to take at least one semester of general chemistry if they wanted to graduate from this university.

Yaku had even looked up the ratings of his current professor before signing up with him and for the most part they were pretty good. He thought he could do it if he really put his mind to it, and plus he was fairly decent at chemistry in high school. But, when the first test rolled around, he knew this was a completely different ball game than high school. He remembered all the information just flying out of his head during the test, as if someone sucked it out with a straw. Though he considered himself a pretty calm test taker, he had extreme anxiety during the chemistry exams. No matter how much he studied, he still blanked when the test was presented to him. He was on edge every time: the professor’s beady eyes scanning the room for cheaters and lingering on him longer than necessary, the large lecture hall closing in all around and suffocating him, the students sitting next to him breathing too loudly, the scratchy sound of the pencils flying across the papers ringing abnormally loudly in his ears, pages being turned confidently while he still struggled on the first one, what little time was left being announced and Yaku wanted to scream!  

He repressed the sob that threatened to tear from his throat. Now was not the time to be crying, especially when someone could easily see him. The last thing he wanted was to look like a vulnerable lamb and incur someone’s pity.

 Still, he couldn’t shake the growing depression in his heart as he thought about his previous test grades. His last three exam scores had all been below the class average, this current one way more so than the others. His professor told them in the beginning that usually the class average meant a B-. If that was the case, who knew where Yaku’s grade would end up. He shuddered and this time not from the cold.

He still had two more exams before his final though. He would really have to step up his game, but it was getting increasingly hard to care since he wasn’t getting the results from the immense effort he had put in. Maybe he could afford to get one bad grade if it meant getting better grades in his other classes. In fact, he felt like he was spending way too much on chemistry and not enough on his other subjects, the subjects that he actually enjoyed and was good at. _No, don’t even go down that train of thought_ , Yaku reprimanded himself. _Try to do your best in everything_.

He stuffed the insulting papers haphazardly in his bag and composed himself. Just as he was about to continue walking, Yaku heard the faintest noise from the bush next to him. He wondered if he imagined it because for a while he heard nothing. He strained his ears and tried to drown out the shrill sound of crickets.

 _Meow_.

So, it was a meow he had heard the first time!

He peeked through the dense bush and scanned it for the living creature. Trapped between the adjacent building and the thorny thicket, two wide and frightened sea green eyes stared straight at Yaku. The poor orange tabby kitten tried to wiggle free but cried out pitifully in pain, pierced by the sharp needles.

Yaku’s instincts kicked in and before his mind could process what his body was doing, he’d thrown his bag on the ground and started to wiggle himself into the bush. His short and lean frame helped somewhat, but it was still quite a struggle since the bush was so thick.

“Fuck!” he cursed out loud when a particularly large thorn cut his palm as he tried push away the countless twigs. To make matters worse, he lost his footing when he was inspecting the blood and fell, somehow miraculously (or perhaps not) into the least thick part of the bush.

“Arrggg!” Yaku half-screamed, half-hissed as more thorns tore at the skin of his hands and face. He vaguely heard his pathetic excuse of a jacket tear but that was the least of his concerns. He really hoped no one would witness him in such a sorry state. You’d think that trying to help out a wounded kitten would bring some good karma, if not now then later in the near future, but it seemed like fate was not on Yaku’s side today.

“Hello?” he heard a deep voice ask. “Are you ok in there?”

Yaku stood up gingerly, eyes downcast as he brushed away the stray leaves and twigs on his jacket, trying to salvage what little dignity he had left. His cheeks burned pink in embarrassment.

“Just peachy,” he replied sourly and finally met the eyes of the stranger.

Fuck.

This was the cherry on top of his already bad day. In fact, this day probably took the cake as being the worst day of his entire life, (he might have been exaggerating, but not by much).

Standing before him in all his bedhead glory was his high school enemy, Kuroo Tetsurou.

Kuroo sported the same bewildered expression that Yaku was sure was currently gracing his features right now. Suddenly, Yaku’s anger returned full force as he thought of how miserable his life was in high school because of this guy. And now they went to the same university? Yup, this was definitely the worst day of his life.

Kuroo finally regained some of his composure. “Yaku, what are you doing?” he asked, surprised.

“It’s none of your concern, asshole,” Yaku quipped but a soft meow betrayed him.  

Kuroo stayed rooted to the spot and looked at Yaku questioningly. Yaku groaned when he realized Kuroo was not going to budge until he got an answer. _As stubborn as I remember him_ , he thought, annoyed.

“There’s a kitten stuck in here,” Yaku said curtly. “I was trying to get it out.” He felt his cheeks getting warm again as Kuroo stared at him with those piercing dark eyes that uncannily resembled a feline’s. It was this gaze that Yaku hated so much. Those eyes could stare into your soul to find out your deepest, darkest fears and use them against you at the right moment. It’s happened before to Yaku after all.

Before his thoughts escaped back into the past, Yaku saw Kuroo put his bag down and take off his black leather jacket.

“What are you doing?” Yaku asked, cautiously.

Kuroo looked at him like he just said the dumbest thing on earth. “I’m helping you get the kitten out of the bush,” he replied like it was obvious.

Yaku felt his blood boil, “You won’t fit, you big oaf! Besides, I’m already in here. I’ll take it out carefully and hand it to you.”

 _Shit!_ Yaku didn’t realize the full extent of what he’d said until after he’d actually said it. Now he had just inadvertently asked Kuroo to help him save this kitten. It was a good thing he’d always had a soft spot for animals. He repressed a groan and carefully pushed aside the leaves. Finally, the poor kitten came into view and it stared gratefully into Yaku’s eyes, meowing painfully.

“There, there,” Yaku cooed, as he gently tried to lift it, “I got you.” The kitten scrambled more and it only made Yaku’s job harder. He noticed one particular thorn poking it on the side and tried his best to gently remove it. The kitten sank its sharp claws into his forearms through his jacket and hissed. Yaku growled from the pain but kept his tight hold on the creature. It was probably in more pain than him anyway. He stroked its head to ease some of its suffering and it purred slighting, nuzzling closer into his arms. Yaku smiled slightly before slowly handing it to Kuroo, careful not let their fingers brush. Then, he proceeded to extract himself from the god awful bush and nearly fell on his face again.

Luckily, Kuroo didn’t seem to notice because he was so enraptured by the beauty in his arms. Yaku noticed with slight jealousy that the kitten had taken an instant liking to Kuroo,. But the more he looked at them, the more he wanted to laugh because Kuroo, a guy well over six feet tall who looked intimidating as hell with his black leather jacket, combat boots and crazy hair, was cradling a tiny orange kitten like a mother protecting her child. Yaku would’ve dubbed it as cute if he didn’t hate the guy so much. He decided now was the right time to leave.

Yaku went to pick up his bag but the coarse material rubbed against the cut on his palm in the most painful manner. He hissed in discomfort and it didn’t go unnoticed.

“Hey,” Kuroo began hesitantly, “you ok?”

“I’m fine,” Yaku lied through gritted teeth and moved to step away from Kuroo.

“No, you’re not,” Kuroo said forcefully and moved to grab at Yaku’s injured hand.

Yaku flinched. “Don’t touch me,” he spat.

Kuroo sighed but backed off, eyes solemn. “At least let me take a look at it,” he said softly. When Yaku didn’t budge, Kuroo took a deep breath to calm his growing impatience. “It could get infected fast if we don’t do something about it soon,” he said levelly.

Yaku looked at him apprehensively and finally uncurled his fist to show the wound. Kuroo inspected it from where he stood and nodded. “Come on,” he declared, “My dorm’s not far from here. I can clean the wound and bandage you up there.”

Yaku blinked owlishly. _What?_ He didn’t realize he’d spoken the question out loud until Kuroo spoke again.

“My dorm. It’s right here. Let’s go.” He bent to sling his bag across his shoulder, careful not to jostle the kitten, which was now peacefully asleep in his arms.

Yaku finally felt like he resurfaced from like whatever trance he was under. “Are you serious?” he said incredulously. “Why would I go anywhere with you?”

Kuroo’s nostrils flared in anger. “Look,” he began, voice tight, “as much as I don’t like you either, I can’t just ignore the fact that you’re injured.”

“I can take care of myself,” Yaku persisted, “I was going home right now anyway.”

“There’s a high chance that by the time you’re home, the cut will already be infected,” Kuroo pointed out. “It looked pretty deep from what I saw.”

Yaku stared at him, trying to figure out the actual reason Kuroo was saying all these _humane_ things. There was no way the Kuroo he knew in high school would ever offer to help. In fact, if he saw Yaku burn, he’d only add more fuel to the fire. That’s just the type of person he was. But looking at him now, Yaku saw no malicious intent in his stance. It didn’t help that he was holding the innocent kitten like it was the most precious jewel in the world. And his eyes…his eyes didn’t have the same sly look like in high school. They looked—and Yaku tried to think of many words but only this one seemed to fit properly— _soft_. Yaku never thought a day would come when he’d describe any part of Kuroo as “soft” but here he was. Today was apparently filled with many surprises.

“Earth to Yaku,” Kuroo waved a large hand in front of his face and the short male snapped out of his thoughts. “Get off your high horse for once and accept the help that’s being offered to you.”

When Yaku still looked at him skeptically, Kuroo quietly said, “Seriously. I mean no harm.” Yaku felt his resolve crumble.   

“Ok,” he mumbled, suddenly finding his scruffy shoes very interesting.

“Good,” Kuroo said, a bit awkwardly, “Follow me.”

 _Well duh_ , Yaku thought petulantly, _I have no idea where you’re living._

They walked in silence, Yaku lagging slightly behind Kuroo, until they finally reached the dorm. Kuroo’s roommate paid them no heed as he pushed past them to exit, too absorbed with his phone. Kuroo set the dozing tabby on his bed and put his bag down beside the desk chair. He shuffled around looking for the first aid kit. Yaku stood awkwardly, still by the door, and inspected the room. He didn’t expect it to be so _neat_. Especially from a guy like Kuroo, who looked like he hadn’t brushed his hair since the time it first sprouted on his head. 

But his small, twin sized bed was perfectly made, the dark red sheets and black comforter tucked in to showcase the sharp edges. His clothes were hung neatly inside the small closet space and even his laundry basket was empty, stowed away in the corner. His desk sported the usual school supplies: textbooks, notebooks, tape, a stapler, pens and an array of multicolored highlighters. The bright highlighters looked out of place to Yaku since the color theme of the room was so…dark. Only the walls were white and even they had posters all along them. One was of Batman, another, Yaku suspected, Kuroo’s favorite band. Most surprising of all was a medium sized one of a black cat with deep amber eyes. Now that Yaku looked closer at the bookshelf, he noticed it was littered with kitty charms. He saw a picture frame with Kuroo wearing his high school shirt and holding the same black cat that graced the wall nearest Yaku. He even recognized the other short guy in the picture with his dyed blond hair and black roots. It was the guy Kuroo always hung out with in high school, Kenma. Kenma wasn’t a bad guy. In fact, he was one of the only people who didn’t treat him like shit, even though they hardly talked being in different years and all. Yaku was bewildered when he found out that Kenma was great friends with Kuroo. He never understood how Kenma tolerated that ass but it didn’t matter. He didn’t care enough to find out.

“Oi, shorty, stop spacing out all the time and sit down on the bed,” Kuroo’s voice brought him back to reality.

“Stop calling me short, you overgrown freak!” Yaku snapped and glared daggers at the messy-haired male.

Kuroo rubbed the back of neck and actually looked sheepish. “Sorry, but can you please just sit down?”

Yaku’s jaw dropped. Did Kuroo, the master of provocation, just _apologize_?! He plopped down on the bed ungracefully and Kuroo pulled up the desk chair and sat down in front of him. He took out some large alcohol wipes and gauze. He held out a large hand and waited for Yaku.

Yaku gulped and slowly put his injured hand into Kuroo’s waiting one, palm facing up. He was surprised by the warmth it contained when his own was so cold. Kuroo grasped it gently and tugged it closer to him and Yaku felt the slight roughness of his skin.

“This might hurt a little,” Kuroo warned as he took out a wipe and rubbed it hard against the cut.

“Son of a bitch!” Yaku bellowed, trying to fist his hand to keep the pain from spreading but Kuroo stubbornly held it open.

“I’m almost done,” he said and continued cleaning, eyebrows furrowed in concentration, but this time it didn’t hurt as much.

They were quiet while Kuroo worked diligently. Soon though, the peaceful silence was growing into extreme awkwardness. Kuroo coughed, unable to handle it anymore. “So, how did you do on that last chem exam?” he asked nonchalantly.

 “Huh?” _Very eloquent, Yaku_ , he thought and face-palmed internally. “I mean, how did you know I’m taking chemistry?”

“We’re in the same class,” Kuroo deadpanned.

“What? We are?” Why was this day getting worse and worse?

“Yes. I just found out myself. I saw you sitting in the front once and at first I couldn’t believe my eyes,” Kuroo said, shaking his head. “There all done,” he declared after tying the gauze and let go of his hand. Yaku was too speechless to respond to the original question, but Kuroo let it slide. His hand flopped uselessly to his side as he watched Kuroo take out another smaller piece of alcohol wipe. He stood up suddenly and leaned in way too close for Yaku’s liking.

“Wh—what are you doing?” Yaku sputtered and pushed him away. Kuroo rolled his eyes but remained where he was.

“You have some small cuts on your face too,” Kuroo said and discreetly tried to dab at a cut by Yaku’s eyebrow.

Yaku slapped his hand away, “It’s fine.”

“God, you’re so fucking stubborn,” Kuroo groaned in frustration.

“Oh, I’m the stubborn one, Mr. It’s-My-Way-Or-The-Highway?” Yaku retorted, his angry returning full force.

Kuroo pulled at his hair, exasperated, “Just let me help you,” he said, voice strained and suddenly sounding tired.

“Why?” The question tumbled out of Yaku’s mouth before he could stop it. Well, this would probably put his curiosity to rest.

“Because,” Kuroo began, looking away, “I kinda feel bad for whatever happened between us in high school. I wanna make amends.”

“You think that bandaging me up will suddenly get you back into my good graces after all you did to me?” Yaku felt the tremor in his voice and hated himself for sounding so weak. “You’re in for a rude awakening if you think that.”

Kuroo finally looked back at the light haired male, whose large eyes suddenly looked glassier than before. “Hey, don’t dub me as the bully. You were just as involved in making my life miserable.”

Yaku scoffed, “Oh please. What you went through was nothing compared to what I went through. At least the whole school didn’t make fun of you. And it was all your fault that they did!”

“My fault?” Kuroo asked, confused as hell. What was Yaku talking about? “Look I admit to making fun of you but that’s only because you started it first!”

Yaku stood up, facing Kuroo. Although he was way shorter, Yaku was in no way scared of Kuroo.

“Are you fucking serious right now?” Yaku seethed, jabbing Kuroo in the chest. “I can’t believe you have the audacity to feign ignorance after all you did to me.” He picked up his bag and made his way to the door. “Thanks for your help but don’t bother ever coming near me again.”

Kuroo grabbed him by his backpack and spun him around. “Not until you explain to me what you mean.” He moved around Yaku’s surprised and small form to lock the door. Crossing his arms, he waited.

“I seriously can’t believe you,” Yaku said in a small voice, lower lip trembling slightly. “I don’t know if you’re doing this on purpose to inflict more pain on me or what.”

“I am not trying to hurt you,” Kuroo tried to sound as earnest as possible, “I promise.” Kuroo held his breath. Yaku reminded him of a terrified and cornered kitten. Kuroo was walking on eggshells here; one false move and who knows what Yaku might end up doing. Well there were only two options: he would either claw at Kuroo’s face or run away, never to be seen again.  

Kuroo never suspected that whatever happened in high school would deal such a big blow on Yaku. He wondered just how deep the bullying truly went. He felt even worse since he did have a hand in it, although it wasn’t always like that. Initially, even though he and Yaku never spoke, Kuroo would always try to defend Yaku when his friends made fun of him. He’d even hoped to become friends with him since Kuroo noticed Yaku didn’t really have any. One day, when he’d finally made up his mind to go talk to him, Yaku beat him to it. But, instead of a friend request, he came hurling insults and calling Kuroo names. Kuroo was very confused. He didn’t even do anything to this guy! Matters didn’t get any better from then on and Yaku continued being mean as ever. If once upon a time Kuroo wanted to be friends with this guy, it was definitely not going to happen now, and when his friends made more fun of him, he didn’t try to stop them.  

Kuroo wasn’t proud of his behavior, but he was an absolute idiot in high school (he was still an idiot but that’s beside the point). He realized a little too late that what he was doing to Yaku was wrong and by the time he thought to apologize, they’d already graduated and he never saw Yaku again until a few weeks ago in their chemistry lecture. He was surprised to say the least, but he realized this must’ve happened for a reason. At first, he immediately wanted to apologize to him and get it over, with but he couldn’t bring himself to face him. He also knew that Yaku would hate to see his face and would probably laugh at his apology. Would he even believe Kuroo? Nope. He wouldn’t believe his bully either.

Every time he steeled himself to approach the small male, he chickened out. It also didn’t help that Yaku left the lecture as soon as it ended. His short legs really did a good job of speeding him away, and by the time Kuroo escaped his friends, the wind had carried Yaku away to who knows where.

So when he found him in the bush, he thought it was a perfect opportunity, like someone had handed him a wrapped present, ready to be opened. True, Yaku was as annoying as ever but Kuroo would take what he was given, especially if it meant easing his guilty conscience. Never in a million years did he think their first encounter since high school would turn out like this. And now Kuroo patiently waited for Yaku to tell him what exactly went wrong between them in the first place.

Yaku stared at Kuroo, eyes brimming with tears as he remembered all his high school problems. “You outed me to the whole school, Kuroo,” he finally spoke and a few tears escaped his somber brown eyes, sliding down his face. “Or did you forget that _minor_ detail?” he added scornfully.

Kuroo stared, dumbfounded.

Huh?

_Huh!_

“Oh please don’t look like you have no idea what I’m talking about,” Yaku said, angrily wiping away the tears, “or I’m going to punch you in the face.”

“You’re gay?” Kuroo blurted out.

“You must really have a death wish, you crazy haired freak!” Yaku screeched and started advancing on Kuroo, who staggered back.

“Wait, wait, wait!” he yelled, desperately waving his arms around. “It wasn’t me I swear! I didn’t even know you’re gay! I thought everyone was just calling you that to get under your skin. I never thought it was literally true!”

“Nice try but you suck at lying,” Yaku pulled back his arm to deliver a punch but Kuroo caught it easily.

“Why would I make fun of you for being gay when I’m gay too?” Kuroo asked, voice dangerously low. Yaku gaped at him. Was this some kind of sick joke?

Kuroo let his hand drop and sighed. “Fuck. If this was the reason, no wonder you were so pissed off at me. You had every right to be even though I wasn’t the one who gave away your secret.”

“You’re gay too?” Yaku mimicked like an idiot.

Kuroo huffed out a laugh, “That’s the most important thing you got out of this exchange?”

Yaku felt his cheeks heating up in embarrassment. “Well, I just thought you must’ve overheard my confession during second year to another guy and you told everyone about it.”

“How could I have told anyone if I wasn’t even there to witness it?” Kuroo demanded.

“But you were there!” Yaku insisted. “I saw you. Right—right after I got rejected I ran into you as I turned the corner.”

Kuroo was really losing his patience now. Was this guy was real? “Get this through you thick skull, Yaku,” he hissed, “It. Wasn’t. Me. Do you honestly think that I’d out you for my own amusement? I wouldn’t even do that to my worst enemy, so why would I do it to you when we never even talked before all this shit-fest started? In fact, I was gonna befriend you before you went all bat-shit crazy on me. And did you ever stop to think that maybe it was the guy who _rejected_ you that might be responsible?”

“He—he wouldn’t do that,” Yaku said without much conviction. Although the more he thought about it, the more it made sense since it was his friends who made the most fun of Yaku. At the time he didn’t realize it since he was so heartbroken but maybe it was him…

“Whatever,” Kuroo said. “I just want to let you know that it wasn’t me. You can choose to me believe or not, but I’ve done my duty in telling you and,” he bowed in front of Yaku, “I’m sorry to have caused you trouble. I was— _am_ stupid, and I take back every mean thing I ever said to you. Please forgive me, although I would understand if you chose not to.”

Kuroo slowly straightened up and regarded Yaku with a grave expression. Yaku on the other hand didn’t know what to do since he felt like the world’s biggest idiot. No one had ever apologized to him so sincerely and he started to believe that maybe Kuroo wasn’t the one who actually started it all. True, he did have some part in it but that was only because Yaku tended to jump to conclusions quickly and picked fights with him first.

“I’ll only forgive you if you forgive me too.” Yaku saw Kuroo’s eyes growing comically wide. He bowed too, “I’m sorry for suspecting you. I was— _am_ an ass.” He straightened up and was glad to see a smile on Kuroo’s face.

“You’re forgiven.”

***

After that, Yaku and Kuroo became fast friends. Even though they didn’t have many things in common, they still clicked. It’s like they were making up for the time they’d lost in high school.

Yaku ended up keeping the kitten since Kuroo, unfortunately, wasn’t allowed to keep pets in his dorm. They both decided on naming her Bast, after the Egyptian cat goddess. Yaku learned that Kuroo was obsessed with cats and the poster on his wall was of his first cat, who passed away before the semester began. Yaku reassured Kuroo that he could visit Bast at his apartment whenever he wanted, and it started becoming a routine thing after their chemistry lecture. They’d head on over to Yaku’s place and Kuroo would play with Bast while Yaku whipped up something quick for dinner. Afterwards they’d relax for a bit before hitting the books. Sometimes Kuroo even crashed over when their study sessions ran too late.

Yaku also learned that Kuroo was majoring in chemistry and minoring in biology with dreams of becoming a doctor. Also, it was he who kept getting the highest grades in chemistry. At first Yaku was surprised, but after spending more time with Kuroo, he realized what a gigantic nerd he was and it actually made sense. Yaku teased him relentlessly, but it helped in his case. Kuroo was an amazing tutor and taught him the tricks of the trade. He explained how to carefully analyze the questions and pick out the important details. He even shared some common themes that ran in the test questions. Their professor had a specific way of designing problems which Kuroo had figured out early on.

With Kuroo’s help, Yaku felt more and more confident in himself. When the next test rolled around, Yaku felt a calm he never felt before and wondered if it was because of Kuroo’s comforting presence next to him, sending him a lopsided smile and a quick “Good luck!” Recently, he felt his heart picking up speed whenever Kuroo flashed one of those dorky grins and the butterflies fluttered faster in his stomach. He wondered how he was ever mad at that silly face.

He finally saw the results of his (and Kuroo’s) hard work. He made a grade above the class average on the last two exams and tackled the final with the viciousness of a feral animal. When they finished, Yaku was glad to finally walk out of that lecture hall for the last time. Now he would never have to see that annoying professor’s face ever again, that is if he got a good grade in the class. He just hoped his previous blunders wouldn’t cost him too much. Kuroo had repeatedly reassured him that he would be fine. The final was worth more anyway, and it would definitely boost his grade if he did well.

The two grabbed some hot chocolate to warm up against the winter cold and relaxed at Kuroo’s dorm, watching movies and eating pizza well into the evening. Yaku was done with his finals, but Kuroo still had a biology final in two days, which he felt pretty confident about. _Kuroo’s too smart for his own good_ , Yaku noted begrudgingly. But he never rubbed it in anyone’s face. 

Suddenly, Kuroo’s phone vibrated between them. He checked the glowing screen and opened the email, eyes quickly scanning the contents. Yaku paused the movie and waited for Kuroo to finish.

“Semester grades are up for the class,” he declared solemnly.

Yaku’s eyes widened. “What? Already? We just took the final this morning!”

Kuroo nodded, “He must have really efficient TA’s.” Kuroo opened a new tab on his laptop and logged into his student account to view his grade. A few seconds later, he turned around and gave Yaku a bright smile. “I got an A!”

“No surprise there, dummy. You’re a genius,” Yaku said but couldn’t stop the smile from taking over his face. “Congratulations though!” He high fived Kuroo and Kuroo turned away, blushing heavily.

He coughed slightly, “Do you wanna check your grade or go back to watching the movie?”

Yaku thought about it. He could wait until he was alone in case he didn’t get the grade he wanted, but the curiosity would slowly kill him during the movie and he wouldn’t be able to enjoy it. “Sure, why not?”

Kuroo smiled at him encouragingly and handed him the laptop. Yaku repeated Kuroo’s previous actions and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and bracing himself before clicking further.

_Click._

He slowly opened his eyes and gulped.

Wait. This couldn’t be real, right? He couldn’t have actually gotten a B+ in chemistry, right? Yaku released the breath he didn’t know he was holding and laughed with utter joy. The weight on his shoulders lessened considerably and he felt like he could do anything. He looked at Kuroo’s smiling and proud face and lunged into his arms, throwing both of them off balance and into a mess of limbs on the bed. Without thinking any further, Yaku kissed Kuroo straight on the lips, eliciting a surprised gasp from him. Soon though, Kuroo melted into the kiss and wrapped his arms around Yaku’s small frame, hugging him close as if he were the most precious thing in the world. If Yaku went through all that past hell just to experience this heaven now, he’d go through it all over again.

***

A few months later, Kuroo moved into Yaku’s apartment. He practically spent most of his time there anyway, and he already a drawer solely for his things. Everything seemed to be going in their favor until Bast disappeared one day. _She must’ve ran off when I left the front door slightly ajar last night to throw away the trash._ Kuroo had already gone to sleep by then, tired from a long day of classes. Yaku felt the guilt weigh heavily down on him.

“What do you mean she’s not in the apartment anymore, Yaku?” Kuroo yelled worriedly. He tugged at his hair in despair, “My poor baby, all alone in the wild. She doesn’t even have claws! How’s she going to defend herself?” Kuroo started sobbing and Yaku held him in his arms soothingly which proved to be quite a challenge because there was just _so much_ of Kuroo. 

“Kuroo,” he began slowly, “I think it may have been my fault.” Kuroo looked at him questioningly with red rimmed eyes. “I may have accidentally left the front door kinda open last night when I was taking out the trash.”

Kuroo detached himself from his boyfriend’s arms, “What?”

Yaku quickly apologized and tried to rewrap his arms around Kuroo but he was having none of it. “I can’t believe you left the door open! Now she’s gone!”

“Don’t worry she’ll come back,” Yaku said, trying to sound optimistic, “We’ll put out flyers around the community with her picture and everything.”

Kuroo ignored him and continued ignoring him for the next few days when there was still no sign of Bast. After the fourth day, Kuroo crawled into Yaku’s arms, snuggling into his chest.

“I miss her,” he sniffled.

“I miss her too, baby,” Yaku replied sadly, running a hand through Kuroo’s surprisingly soft hair, and within no time Kuroo was asleep. Yaku kissed him on the forehead and dozed off himself.

After almost three months, when the leaves changed colors yet again, Kuroo rushed into their apartment, the brightest of smiles plastered on his face.

“Yaku!” he yelled happily, picking up his small boyfriend and hugging him close. “We’re parents Yaku! Parents!”

“Huh?” Yaku unlatched himself from his overly enthusiastic giant. “I’m not the science major here but I’m pretty sure it’s impossible for us to biologically have kids.”

Kuroo ignored him, off into his own thoughts, “Oh wait…technically we’re grandparents.”

“Kuroo,” Yaku began exasperated, “What the hell are you talking about?”

The spiky haired male finally seemed to regard Yaku properly for the first time in these last few minutes. “Bast! She had babies! I found them outside our patio just now! She came back, Yaku! She came back!”

Kuroo kissed him deeply, spinning them around. _I am in love with a complete idiot_ , Yaku thought happily as they welcomed the tiny kittens into their home.  

**Author's Note:**

> Gen Chem freshman yr of uni was awful for me and I had pretty bad test anxiety. Writing about it kinda felt like I was reliving it but I'm glad it's all in the past now.  
> As for the name "Bast", I really wanna name my first cat that! Ahh I love cats so much!  
> And lastly, a huge shutout to my friend for being such an amazing editor! <3  
> I hope you liked it! Leave your comments, criticisms and kudos or come say hi on tumblr, @rolling-blunder.


End file.
